Furuba Next Gen Silent Song
by Bitter Shadow
Summary: Amaya always wanted something magical to happen to her. And then she discovers her crush's secret; He's a Sohma! Pulled into a world she thought she prepared for, will she be able to handle the Sohmas? And will they be able to handle her? It's always a zoo with these guys! Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs. Caution! Note the rating, my Sohmas have some pretty messed up pasts.
1. Silent Song Unheard and Unexpectant

"Amaya, what is the nervous system made of?" Mrs. Hisakawa's sharp voice rung out. I sat up a little straighter in my desk.

"The brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves," I answered, trying to sound as alert as I could. She smiled coldly, her eyes saying _you win this round_ as I turned to my friend, Sakura, and whispered, "Just because I don't raise my hand a lot doesn't mean I don't pay attention." I wasn't sure if she heard me or not, because she was spacing out. Her dark eyes were focused out the window. I shook my head. Health class was not her strong suit.

I was sort of spacing out myself though. Daydreaming about magic again. If anyone had the slightest hope a middle schooler still believed in magic, I was their go-to girl. But of course, no one would come looking for that. Magic was for little kids, blah blah blah, it's not actually real, blah blah blah.

But I had been waiting my whole life for something incredible to happen. And I wasn't going to stop now.

I thanked the bell as it rang out, so we could go to lunch. Mrs. Hisakawa glared at me one more time and then announced the homework. Finally, we were free.

"I left my lunch in my locker. Walk with me?" I asked Sakura. She nodded and we took off in the opposite direction of the crowd.

"God, I absolutely hate Health. Not as much as I hate math though. What class do you hate the most?"

"Gym." I answered without hesitation.

"P.E." Sakura corrected me.

"Same thing. I am not strong nor energetic. I see no educational value in running around yelling at one another." I grimaced, for once glad I was in health. She laughed.

_Vvsht! _The loud speaker came on. "_Sakura Nara, your mother is here to pick you up. Please come down to the front office. Sakura Nara, your mother is here to pick you up. Please come down to the front office."_

"Why do you think they say 'come down?'" She shrugged and then saluted me.

"Until next we meet! I have to go to the dentist!" she declared loudly, but luckily there were only a couple other people in the hallway, none seemed to pay us any attention. I smiled and saluted back. She speed walked (no running) off. I listened to the sound of her shoes against the tiles until I was alone at my locker. At the end of the hallway, I could hear a group of girls filing off to the cafeteria.

I pulled out the purple bag with colorful cupcakes printed on it and slammed my locker door shut. I started walking towards the intersection where four halls met. It's a good thing there is no running, or else that would just be an accident waiting to happen.

"Hey, what's happening?" Rei materialized in front of me. Rei was my hopefully-not-imaginary (though sometimes this was not-so-imaginary or maybe-imaginary) friend. He was like a dark angel, he had huge black wings and fierce but kind gold eyes.

"Nothing much," I whispered. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Right now I'm going to lunch." He waved and disappeared. I shook my head, smiling.

BAM! And I walked straight into three boys! Coming from the other hallway, I didn't even see them coming because Rei was distracting me.

One of these boys happened to be Miki Fukui, the boy I had a crush on. He was pretty spacey and adorable, with a funny disposition and striking blue eyes.

POOF! Suddenly there was a blast of strange purple smoke, and Fukui san was gone. I stood there with two boys, holding Fukui san's clothes in my outstretched arms. They looked at me expectantly, like I would have the answer.

"Uh, and that was the disappearing act I've been working on for a while! You'll have to thank Fukui san for doing such a great job as my assistant!" I said after only a bit of a moment of hesitation, grateful I had joined the improv team. "That was a great job on his part! I couldn't have done it without him!"

The two boys shook their heads, recognizing me as the oddball I was and letting it go. "Tell him, wherever he went, to meet up with us after school, 'kay?" The tall blond boy said as they walked away. I nodded and stood still. I peeked over my shoulder. They were gone.

I zoomed into the girls bathroom and fumbled through his clothes. "Ah ha!" I whispered, finding something among his clothes. Though I couldn't say I was expecting what I found. "W-water! I need water!"


	2. Seahorse begins the mystery

"Fukui-San. Fukui-San." I awoke to the sounds of light breathing. Her words were gurgled and muddled, but I thought she was saying my name. Worry laced her voice. I could feel her breath against my exposed flesh. It was...warm.

POOF! And suddenly, I was sitting in the girls' bathroom sink, soaked and nude. Her eyes definitely widen for a split second before she fumbled for my clothes and thrusted them out at me. I accepted them gratefully.

Once I was dressed, and had climbed out of the sink, she guided my arm to under the hand dryers. She did it so gently it was like she was afraid if she went to hard I'd break into a million pieces. I sat under the blasting hot air as my hair dried, my eyes cast down.

"Fukui-San..."

"Sohma. Not Fukui. Sohma. Call me Sohma." I corrected her defeatedly. She had the right to know the truth, and the whole truth. "That's my real name."

"Sohma-san...Your..." she started breathlessly. I could feel my face grow warm with stress and anticipation. I knew this was coming. I thought I was ready. She probably had a million questions. "Your...hair...is green?"

I blinked slowly. Out of all the questions in the world, she asked about my hair? What, was she crooked in the head or something? I sighed with quiet relief. "Yeah, but it's dark enough where I can pass it as black." She nodded solemnly. That seemed to be everything she wanted to know, because after that she kept real quiet. I decided I should just tell her anyway.

"The Sohma family has a curse that touches 14 people every generation. The twelve animals of the zodiac and...two others. Whenever those people's bodies are put under stress, or for whatever reason, when hugged by the opposite gender, we transform into our animal. I'm the dragon, so I turn into," My face grew hot. "a 'baby dragon.'"

I kept my eyes fixed on the ground. I knew what came next.

I breathed deeply again, and slowly extended my hand. She sat perfectly still, as though she was prepared for this too. My forefinger and thumb brushed her forehead. I pressed gently. I had to wipe her memory.

I couldn't go ask the head right now. She could go tell her friends if I didn't do it right away.

There was a flash of white light. Done. She would have no memory whatsoeverwhat our conversation. But she didn't fall unconscious. She just sat there.

"What was that light, Fuku-I mean, Sohma-San?" She asked. What? Why hadn't it worked? I couldn't just let her go out with these memories, or I'd...I'd have to leave the school. I didn't want it to come to that. I needed time.

GRUMBLE! She grabbed her stomach and started laughing. "I guess I'm more hungry then I thought!" Her face was red, but she was trying to cover her embarrassment with laughter.

"Go ahead, you can eat," I said sort of absentmindedly. She unzippered her lunch box. Here? Well, it bought me time. Hopefully enough time.

GRUMBLE! I guess I was hungry as well. She started laughing again. It was...a nice sound. She saw I didn't have a lunch with me, so she pushed over half of hers.

"No-I couldn't-really-"

She wouldn't let me refuse. She threatened to shove it down my throat. But I found a way to make it work towards my advantage. "Well, to thank you, would you come over to my house after school?" If anyone would know what to do, it would be Minoru. Her eyes got huge. She nodded vigorously. I half smiled which made her look straight down at her food, her face nearly glowing scarlet.

"Oh!" She gasped softly. "But your friends they said they wanted to meet you after school..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with them later." I didn't think her face would get any more red, but as she nodded it looked like she was going to explode.

"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously. She quickly waved her hands in front of her face.

"O-Of course! I'm fine! I'm always fine!" Whatever you say. Girls were so weird.


	3. Rise of ninjas and the maybe rabbit

"Aika, Miki-niichan is coming home in minutes. Could you puh-lease finish sweeping?" Minoru called out from the doorway, but he was smiling.

"Occhan, I'm going I'm going!" I yelled back. "No need to rush Aika-chan! She'll get it down in no time!" He stuck out his tongue at me. I winked back at him. He must be feeling better for once, he was in a playful mood. Poor Minoru was always under the weather. It's been ages since he was all playful like this.

"Sohma-San! Ah, gomene!" I heard yelling. It was a girl's voice. I dropped the broom and ran along the path to find The girl who screamed.

What I found was a girl with strawberry hair on the ground, clutching Miki-niichan's school clothes. She looked very upset, near tears. "Gomene gomene gomene!"

"What's wrong?" I piped up. The girl jumped a bit. She obviously didn't hear me coming. She wouldn't make a very good ninja. "Where's Miki-niichan? Did he transform?" I hope he transformed. that would be fun. She looked surprised.

"You know?" she asked quietly. I bobbed my head yes.

"I'm Aika-chan! Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Amaya Ebasi. Nice to meet you." She extended her arm. What a weird time for a high five. Nonetheless, I gave her one. She laughed a little when I did.

"So, where is Miki-niichan anyway?" She got real big eyes after I said that, that's for sure.

"Ah, gomene Sohma-San! I forgot! Gomene!" She fished him out of his school clothes. She looked at me, and I knew what she was thinking instantly.

"Follow me!" I skipped off into the trees, darting between branches and jumping over roots. She seemed to do a pretty good job following me. Maybe she'd be an okay ninja, but still not a great one.

Then I thought of something really funny that I just had to say. "Hopefully he's not already DEAD!" I called back cheerfully. I don't think she thought it was all that funny. But maybe it was because she didn't think it was a joke.

I skidded to a halt at the edge of a small pond, next to some veggies occhan had planted. He was so silly, planting and making ponds when he was sick! Amaya-chan almost fell into me. No wonder Miki-niichan transformed!

"Gimme!" I yanked Miki-niichan out of her hands. I threw him in hard as I could. Occhan always said I had a good throwing arm, and that I should play baseball. But I guess Amaya-chan wasn't expecting me to be so good, because she looked all worried again.

"Is he...freshwater?" She asked like she didn't know how to say it.

"Of course not! He's a seahorse. SEAhorse! But this ought to be better than him trying to breathe air!" We sat there for a minute.

"Look Aika-chan! A butterfly!" She said brightly. She went stumbling after it. It landed on the leaf of a maple tree and she cupped her hands around it. Slowly, she walked back to me. She knelt down so we were eye level, and opened her hands, showing me her prize.

POOF! I giggled. "Miki-niichan, you have the worst timing when it comes to changing back!"

He glared at me. "I'll get you for this one, you dumb rabbit!" He jumped on top of me and started pulling at my hair. I have really pretty hair, it's long and wavy and blonde. But Miki-niichan always uses it against me!

"Owies Miki-niichan! That hurts! Stop!"

"What did you chucked me for?!" Miki-niichan always gets so angry after he transforms back, he likes to be big again though because then he can always hurt me to get pay back for all the fun I have while he's transformed. He's so mean!

Then I smiled. I thought of something else that was really funny. "You're naked in company!" I sang out. He froze, and looked up at the girl, his face turning pink. She was staring up at the sky though.

"Rabbit...? Aika-chan is the zodiac's rabbit?"

"Yep! I'm the Rabbit-chan! Amaya-chan, don't you like rabbits better than baby dra-ouch ouch stop!"

"Sorry Ebasi-san. This rabbit just gets on my nerves." He smiled at her. Her face turned red. She could hear the smile in his voice, because she never even glanced at him. Did Amaya-chan love Miki? It looked like she loved him. But he's so dense!

"Let's get back to the house already. Aika, can you go get my clothes please?" I was about to start complaining, but then Amaya-chan started talking.

"No, it's my fault you transformed, Sohma-San. I'll go get your clothes."

"Don't call him Sohma-San! Call him Miki like the rest of us!" She glanced at him for a second, making sure not to look anywhere but his face, and he nodded.

"Call me whatever you want." She smiled like she achieved something great. Then she sped off to get to the trail. Suddenly the air got all serious.

"How long?" I asked, my voice quieter and less happy. I felt quieter and less happy.

"How long what?" He asked blatantly, avoiding my eyes.

"You know. Until you make her forget." I didn't just feel less happy, I felt sort of sad. All my friends had to forget. I didn't like to think about it. But this girl, though she may not be a ninja, she seemed to be fine with the thought of us transforming. Was something wrong with her head? Occhan told me about crazy people. Was she a crazy person?

"I can't. There's something about her, I can't make her forget." He still looked anywhere but at me.

"Good. I don't want her to forget." He looked into my eyes. His eyes were full of regret. They were the color of tears. I hated his eyes. They made me want to run and hide. "I know. I know she has to. But, I'm just glad...not yet."

He nodded a little, but I knew he must want her to remember too. I think...maybe we all did. Maybe this was what we all needed. A little sanity to balance out the madness of our lives. Or maybe, if she is a crazy person, a little insanity would be enough too. Maybe. But then again, with us, everything's just that. Just maybe.

Maybe.


	4. All the King's horses (Heading to war)

"Minoru! I'm home!" I got up slowly. "Minoru! Minoru!"

"Coming, coming!" I yelled down. What was with Miki today? Weird kid. I came down the stairs. Standing besides a dripping wet Miki was a tall girl who seemed completely out of it.

"Oh, why hello...?" I glanced at Miki. The girl smiled brightly.

"I'm Amaya Ebasi, a pleasure to meet you, Sohma-San...?" She glanced at Miki too and whispered, "Right?"

"Yes, I'm Minoru Sohma. Are you one of Miki's friends...?" This was one of the weirdest conversations I ever had, right next to the one about if an ostrich could beat a emu at chess.

"She knows." Miki cut in. I eyed him. "If you'll excuse us for a second, Ebasi-San, I need to speak to Minoru alone-"

"Occhan!" Aika-chan jumped out from behind Miki. "Occhan, I'm hungry!" That girl. I thought I told her to finish sweeping, but I guess she was busy making friends with this girl Miki brought home.

"Please give us some space, rabbit," Miki kept his eyes locked on me.

"Don't tell me what to do, you dumb-"

"Oh, well, I, Aika-chan, let's go get something to eat!" The girl spoke up. She smiled at me then was pulled by Aika-chan into the kitchen.

"Alright. Why didn't you wipe her memory?" I needed to get right down to buisness, while Aika-chan was in another room. She didn't need to be part of this conversation.

Miki looked into my eyes. This kid had a way of freaking people out just by looking at their eyes. It felt like he was searching one's soul. But he could never bother me. I just saw the scared little boy behind those eyes.

"I couldn't. There was something with her mind. I couldn't. I tried, I really did." Miki seemed really upset.

"Then I guess she can't forget." I looked up at the clock. The twins should be coming home soon, maybe another twenty minutes...

"What do you mean? There has to be someway...someway..." He looked desperate.

I sighed. "Miki, I've never seen you this persistent to wipe someone's mind. What's up?" He's never wanted to in the first place. He just has no choice in the matter.

"I don't want to leave this school Minoru! I like it here! I...I don't want to leave this house..." He seemed near tears. I forced him up by his left arm. For a slowed moment in time, I just had my hand on his sleeve, him with tears begging to come out of his eyes and me with my steadfast gray eyes. Then I pulled him forcefully into an embrace. His breath was cold against my chest.

"Shh, no one's making you leave. You won't have to leave." He started crying. I felt bad for the kid when he cried. I couldn't make it better when he cried. I wanted to protect him, I swore I'd protect him from that point forward. But I can't protect him when he cries. What makes him cry is something out of my control.

_Don't take away my dear little pet, Minoru-San. You know I can't_ stand_ to live without him. And he wouldn't be _able_ to stand without me. Look at you Minoru, stretching out a hand to the weaker man, but we both know why. My dear little pet doesn't though. You've really become my despicable little monster, haven't you?_

"I-I can't go back Minoru. I can't go back. Ever." I patted his back as he gripped at my shirt. His hands were so small. I wanted to stay like this for eternity. I could protect him in my arms. But we couldn't stay this way.

"Go wash up," Was all I could manage whisper as I released my reluctant grip. It was one of those times when my head said let go, but my hands really didn't want to. He walked slowly to the bathroom.

"Occhan! Come in here!" Aika-chan called for me. I smiled and hid away those bad feelings.

"What is it?" I came into the kitchen to find the girl standing over the oven. Aika-chan grabbed my arm.

"Amaya-neechan is teaching me to make cookies! We'll have cookies in fifteen minutes!" I smiled at her. Her big green eyes were sparkling. I was glad she didn't hear what we said. I was glad she didn't cry. I looked to Amaya, who was setting the timer for fifteen minutes.

"Oh, Sohma-San. I guess I got carried away and well," She acted like she thought I was upset.

"Call me Minoru. How many cookies are you making, Amaya-chan?" She smiled with relief. "Because I will want some for sure. How long are you staying here Amaya-chan?"

"Don't worry, I'm making plenty. I'm only staying the afternoon I think. My mother will pick me up when she gets home from work. So Minoru-San, is this your house? What do you do for a job?"

"It was my father's actually. He left it and his money for me in his will. He actually was pretty rich, if you'll believe it. On his will he wrote, '_For my beloved son, my estate, so he can get the hell out of this place!'" _I smiled thinking back on it. "I couldn't live all alone though, and I think he knew that. So I took these two rascals you met, the twins, and Daisuke to come stay with me."

Suddenly Amaya-chan jumped. "Oh, my phone's buzzing! That must be my mom, please excuse me for a moment." She slid out of the room. I exchanged a look with Aika-chan. We both got right up against the door so we could hear her.

"Moshi Moshi, this is Amaya...hi mom...oh...of course..." She was quiet for a while. "No, no, its no problem...don't get too caught up in work...I can always stay at Sakura's...I'll see you then, two weeks...love you too." She started back into the kitchen.

"It was a pleasure to visit Minoru-San. I'll be heading home now. My mother was sent on a last minute work trip, so I'll just walk myself." She bowed. "Have a nice day!"

"Wait, Amaya-neechan!" Aika-chan grabbed her shirt sleeve. I had the same concerns as her. From what we heard and what she said just now, was she going to be home alone for two weeks? "Are you gonna be...all alone?"

She smiled, but her eyes were sad. "Only for two weeks. Don't worry about me, really. My Mom's gone away on work trips before. This is nothing new." I didn't like the sadness in her eyes. She may say she was going to be fine, but I could see she didn't mean her words. I also didn't like Miki being sad...maybe...

"Amaya-chan, I'd like you to stay here for those two weeks. You won't have to be alone then, and I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to be alone either." _I could always stay at Sakura's. _She was lying to her mom because she didn't want to worry her. She obviously had no intention of bothering her friend with it either.

"Before you can decline, let me add you would not be troubling us at all. We'd love a good pair of hands in the kitchen, and it seems to me you're a pretty good cook, unlike any of us. In fact, it's been ages since we had real food made in this place."

"What about when I cook though, Occhan?" Aika-chan moaned. "I cook all the time."

"Well yes, your cooking is...unique. I can't say most people have had the pleasure to eat mint ice cream covered in soy sauce and blueberries. But what do you say, Amaya-chan?"

She looked so happy righ then, I could've sworn she was going to hug me.

I couldn't disobey my king. To do that is revolution. I sighed. Looks like I was going to war.


	5. First Rule of Flock

"Taki seems pretty cool. But his brother, what do you make of him, eh?" They were whispering, but I could hear them fine from in the boy's locker room. They stood right outside it after they're done changing and talked amongst themselves. I can't seem to help but overhear ever word they say, and those words make my stomach turn.

"He sure is weird. I don't think he even likes soccer. Why'd he have to come and join our team anyway?"

"I heard it's because of Taki. Anything Taki does, Aki does too. It must be like a twin thing or something."

"Yeah, but man, even for being a twin, he sure is freaky." There was quiet agreement to this. "I mean, Taki is pretty good at soccer and fun to hang around, but I try not to spend time with him just because of Aki."

"I heard he broke some dude's wrist just 'cause he accidentally tripped Taki and Taki got bruised." A couple gasps and more agreement.

"I know dude! I'm afraid to even touch Taki, you know."

"Yeah I know! The other day, he gave me the death glare just for patting Taki on the back!"

"Well, you know what I heard..."

I let their voices slip out of my head as I slunk back against the wall. It's been another of those days. Those days where I just couldn't catch a break. My only break was Aki.

I curled up into a ball, resting my head on my knees and wrapping my arms around them like I did when I was a kid. I couldn't even play soccer anymore without being feared. I loved soccer.

But I knew. Aki and me together made a freak show that nobody wanted to come see.

"Taki, what's wrong?" I heard something fall, maybe a water bottle, and a second later my brother's arms were around me. "Hey, hey, don't cry. What happened?" I didn't even realize it, but my shirt was wet. I brushed away the tears.

"Nothing. Relax. I'm fine." He sighed, but didn't relent on his embrace. I smiled and gave him a little push. "Come on Aki, get off me. Practice is over, we should get heading home." He drew in a soft but hesitant breath. He nodded and released me.

We were already out walking by the time Aki talked again. "What do you think Minoru is doing?" Aki asked me as he scrunched his nose. "Hopefully not trying to make food." I smiled.

"If he is, let's fake sick so we don't have to have any," I swung my arms up and ran my fingers along the branches of the trees we passed. I looked at Aki's hair for a moment. "You're going to have to dye it again soon, man."

His real hair was chestnut brown, but he kept it dyed a yucky pastel yellow to match mine. I could remember when I caught him in the bathroom with a bottle of the gloopy stuff the first time.

"Stop! Aki, what are you doing? You're not supposed to play with that stuff! Where'd you even get it?" I had begged and pulled on Aki's leg when he got up on the stool to see in the mirror as he added the dye to his hair.

"Shut up already! We're supposed to be identical, remember? I'm always going to look like you!" His determined brown eyes smiled at me defiantly. His voice softened. "And no one can change that, got it?" I gave up. I smiled and nodded.

We couldn't have been more than seven, but I don't remember how old exactly we were. Aki probably would know. I always remember the words and he always remembers the age. We were like two halves of a memory, instead of two memories.

We had already made it back to the house. Time sure did fly with him around. I picked up the broom from where it was on the ground. Aki exchanged a look with me.

"Oh Taki-Aki!~" Minoru's voice wafted out of the kitchen. "Come eat some of this!~"

"Nice guess man," I high-fived Aki before we headed in. Well, it didn't smell like anything was on fire. Something actually smelled edible. We stepped up to the doorwat of the kitchen. Then, something happened.

I tripped over an untied shoelace (when you're too busy listening in and not paying attention to getting dressed) into a girl who was exiting the kitchen (probably going to see who was there). I snapped my eyes shut. But an instant before we collided, Aki got in the middle of it.

He hit her. He shoved a girl down.

She flew back a bit. Her head banged against the table. "Girl!" Minoru yelled out in horror.

She looked a little stunned at first, like she had no idea what happened. She instinctively touched the back of her head, where she got hit against the table. She winced a bit. Then looked down slowly at her fingers.

"No blood!" She reported happily. She touched her index finger to her forehead as she stood up. "Just give me a minute...just give me a minute...I just need a minute...okay, I'm not dizzy anymore and the pain's cleared up. Ah, are you two the twins?"

"Uh...yeah. Uh...I'm Taki, this is...uh, Aki," My mind went numb. I hardly registered my words. How could he knock her away like that? He could get angry...I mean, he broke some people's bones before, but he would never lay a hand on a girl. Would he? I looked at him with confusion. He looked away.

"I'm...sorry. Please forgive me," He said to the girl. His voice trembled. "Reflexes...my brother...I..." His voice just got quieter and quieter. "I...need to protect him..."

"You don't need to protect me! I can take care of myself, you know!" I didn't know why I was shouting. Was I really that angry? "I'm not yours to protect anyway, Aki! I don't belong to anyone but myself!" I could hear the cruelty in my tone. I could taste the bitter. But I couldn't stop. Those words scared me. I was afraid. Afraid of what my words meant. Afraid of the only memory that we didn't share.

Afraid of the only memory I owned.

"I'm just as old as you are! I'm not some kid! I don't need you! And...and...!"

Then I saw the girl. Her eyes were wide. She must be afraid. I lowered my voice. "Excuse me...I'm...I'm just gonna leave now." I took off into my room. I passed Miki on the stairs. His mind was pretty washed out as he took the stairs on one at a time. I had a split second. "Tell him I'm sorry." I whispered to Miki, before I ran into my room and locked the door. Tears trailed out of my eyes.

I curled up into a ball and cried. Why? Why did I yell? I never yelled at him before. Was this fighting? We never fought before either. But I got scared. When he hit her, I got scared. Scared of something I thought I buried.

I got scared of being owned again.

"Taki! Taki! Please! Please open the door!" Aki was thumping his fists against the door. I instantaneously closed my eyes and laid down on my side. I could've fall asleep to the sound of his hands. But I knew I couldn't right now. I reached up a limp arm and clicked down the lock.

Aki ran in and hugged me. "I'm so sorry, I was just scared," We whispered at the same time to each other. We shifted a bit, and I rested my head on his lap and he ran his hand up and down my back. I closed my eyes. I knew what I scared of. And I knew he what he was scared of.

I could feel all the pain and worry and fear in his heart. I wish I could just leech it out of him and into my own being. Then maybe he'd be happy. Then maybe he wouldn't hurt people anymore and maybe...he wouldn't hurt himself anymore. But that, I knew, would take a lot more than just me. It would take an angel.

I drifted to sleep the way I always did. Listening to the sound of his hands. But for once in a long time, not the sound of his hands bleeding.


	6. Silent Song, Deaf Audience

"Amaya-chan! Oh Poor girl! Are you sure you're alright?" Minoru-San was so worried. I didn't know why. I told him over and over I was fine.

"Yes, Minoru-San. I swear, I'm fine." I smiled at him, but worry was still in the forefronts of my mind. "Minoru-San...what happened with the twins? Taki-San and Aki-San? Will they be alright?"

"Don't worry girl. They're fine, they're always fine." He paused, trying to fit words into sentences. "You know, Aki-San is the only person in this household, besides now you, who isn't cursed." _What? Aki-San isn't cursed? _

"B-but does that mean Taki-San isn't cursed as well?" Minoru-San shook his head. Though he looked dead serious, he seemed to be having fun. "Twins, but only one is cursed," I didn't think about something like that. "Now that I think about it, it must be hard on the loved ones of the curse."

"No, you see, the curse is just like this. As soon as you're held but your mother or father, they discover you carry the curse. It doesn't give us time to have loved ones. But maybe that's for the best." He had been making dramatic hand motions, but he stopped to eye me to make sure I was still listening. I stared intently at him, feeling blessed to be learning so much about Miki-san and his family.

Aika-chan squirmed a bit where she was sitting. "Aika-chan is going to finish sweeping!" She tried to say as cheerfully as she could force. She sprinted out of the room. Minoru-san hardly looked up.

"There are two types of reaction to the curse by parents; neglection or over-protection. Either way, the siblings don't get much bonding time with their cursed brethren in the first place. Whatever ties they have are loose. But, as you can imagine, things would be different for twins. I think this may be the first time it was ever like their case. They share a special bond." I nodded, processing as much knowledge as I could.

"What was that all about?" I whipped my head around to view the speaker. Miki-San stood against the wall. I hadn't even heard him come in.

"Taki-Aki fought. Not more than man could dream though," Minoru-San winked, but Miki-San just shook his head. "It wasn't a bad fight, not even as far as we could think for a Taki-Aki fight." Minoru-San clarified in a huff.

"Why can't you just talk like a normal person?" Miki-San acted aggravated, though he was playing a smile on his lips. But I could see something in his eyes. A sort of emptiness. 'None of this matters.' That's what his eyes said. They didn't look like that before. He smiled superficially in my direction.

"Miki, Amaya-chan will be staying with us for the next two weeks." Minoru-San spoke quickly, like trying to pull a bandage off a wound.

Miki-San shot daggers at him with cold eyes, but Minoru-san kept his eyes focused on me, smiling brightly. "Will you take her to her room?" Miki-san seemed to hold his tongue. The silence stretched out thin, even though it was a matter of milliseconds.

"Of course. Come, Ebasi-San, we have a spare room." I nodded, feeling a little weird. My eyes stung a bit.

"Okay," I spoke softly. He gestured slightly for me, so I got up. But when I stood up, the edges of my vision went fuzzy.

"Let's go." He started walking. I took a heavy step forward. At least, I was hopeful it was forward. I was determined, I couldn't give in to the pain, couldn't give in...

The truth was, my head hurt a lot. I couldn't worry sweet Minoru-san or Aika-chan about it though. I could handle it. I couldn't give in, I wouldn't give in...

"Woah," I whispered as the room spun. The colors melded together. If my head wasn't throbbing, this might be really cool.

"Ebasi-San? Are you alright?"

"Amaya-chan?"

"I think I'm going to pass out," I tried to speak out loud, but I might have just mouthed it.

I had passed out before. This wasn't a big deal by now. I just hated the way my eyes seared with burning pain. I shut my eyes, trying to block it out, but by this point it made little difference. It was so dark, I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. I mumbled one last, "Tired."

"...I've got it under control." Words wafted into the room. I got up slowly. I didn't remember laying down. I dreamily gazed around the room.

I suddenly panicked. Where was I? What was this place? It took a couple moments before I recalled the Sohmas' house. This must be the extra room. My room.

"Oi," Rei materialized. "Fill me in." Rei always listened to whatever I had to say. I smiled gratefully at him.

"Miki-san's family is cursed. I'm going to be staying here while Mom's out on more buisness. She got pulled into a last-minute buisness trip to..." I racked my brains, trying to remember. "...someplace. But Minoru-San is so nice, letting me stay in his house! Well, actually, it's his dead father's house. But he lives in it now." Rei nodded with understanding.

"Not just Minoru-san. All the Sohmas are so nice." I got quiet for a bit. They shouldn't be so nice to someone like me. But I guess nice people just are that way. I wish they weren't. "Rei, is it normal to hear ringing in your ear?"

He smiled at me, and floated down to his knees, inches away from me. I sat still and accepted his hug. I felt his warmth envelope me. I wished, like always, I could hug him back.

"Because sometimes, like now, I hear ringing. I think that's okay though," My words had little meaning. Just ramblings. I closed my eyes, letting a couple tears stream out. "What am I scared, of Rei? Why am I sad? Why am I always so sad?"

He smiled again, then whispered. "I'm here, whenever you need me," as he faded. I didn't need him now. I stubbornly wiped my eyes. I can be strong. I'm always strong. I was mentally exhausted so I laid back down.

"You're broken" I tried to drown out the voices, but I stopped for a moment. Was that Minoru-san? Who was he talking to? What was he saying?

But dreams were gnawing on the edges of my mind. I gave in, letting my thoughts flood into my brain. I'd have to figure this all out later. I wasn't going to fall asleep yet though. It was too early. I wouldn't. My head was pounding, so I started singing to keep my mind off it. I sang my favorite song.

"Who said that every wish will be heard and answered? And wished on a morning star? Somebody said that, and someone believed him, and look what it's done us so far. What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing? What do we think we might see?" I yawned. "Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection," I slowly sang my favorite bit, savoring the words. "The lovers...the dreamers...and...me."


	7. Seahorse Faces an Inconvenient Halt

"Miki-niichan, where's Amaya-neechan?" Aika pulled on my sleeve. I grimaced. It wasn't like her to talk to me. "Is she okay? Where's Occhan?"

"She just fainted. She'll be okay. Minoru is talking with Daisuke," Just saying his name left a bitter taste in my mouth. Daisuke. What is Minoru thinking? "He'll be fine too." She nodded, but something was still on her mind. "Aren't you supposed to be sweeping, you dumb rabbit?"

She frowned, but she was happy for the distraction. "I already finished sweeping! Besides, you're not the boss of me!" She crossed her arms. "Stupid seahorse!"

I smiled a little bit as she ran off. I sighed, and decided I was bored. I thought about Ebasi-San. She was something else. I needed to find someway to clear her memory. Some way to do with without the head finding out. But my mind kept returning to the thoughts of Daisuke.

Maybe I should go check on the twins, see what they're up to. Make sure everything is okay. Then maybe we could go kick around a ball outside or something. I didn't want to just sit and think about Daisuke.

I started up the stairs, when I caught the tail of a voice. I blocked it out. I didn't want to hear him. The thought of his voice made my stomach hurt. But Minoru saw me through a crack in the door as I passed by.

"Come on in, Miki. Daisuke would like to see you." That bastard was just doing this in spite of me, I knew it. But I walked in anyway, keeping my eyes down on my socks. I was hit with the familiar scent of dried blood. Minoru smiled at me as I came in. He whispered so quietly I almost missed it. But he said, "That's a good boy. Be strong, Miki. I know this is difficult."

I felt like slapping him right across his stupid face. Hard.

"Hello, dragon," Daisuke's soft, raspy voice made me flinch. I could hear him shift around behind the shadows. I clenched my teeth. "Its been a long time since we last talked, hasn't it been?" I could feel a cold sweat trace the lines of my body. _Make it stop. Make it stop. Make him go away. _"Too long. I'd say the last time we talked was a year ago." His voice was mumbled and cracked, but his words rang out and echoed deep within me. _Make it stop. _I faced the truth. I was absolutely terrified of him.

"Step closer, let me see you," My voice trembled, but it was demanding. I could hear him laugh a little in the darkness, followed by some horrid coughing.

"So brave, little dragon. I thought you didn't ever want to see me again," He whispered.

Minoru's eyes were suddenly fearful, and it bothered me. His eyes were always constant. "You don't have to, Miki. You can go now, you've done your best. You don't have to." I stood still, feeling petrified.

"No," The determination in my words wavered. "Come into the light, Daisuke. I know you want to see me." Minoru grabbed my hand and held it fiercely. I was grateful beyond words for it. I breathed out the breath I was holding in. "Go ahead." He laughed his pained laugh again.

"Alright, little dragon. If you're okay," And he slowly pulled himself into thr light and the first thing I saw was the first thing my eyes always darted to.

His missing left leg.

Completely torn off at the hip. He did nothing to cover the wound. It was fully visible. Already I felt like puking. I pulled my eyes away, just to see his bare chest, covered with all it's old brown and red and black scars. He was wearing a white button up shirt, but all the buttons were undone. His thin pale arms shook, trying to support his body enough to sit up.

His smile was pale and chapped, dripping with syrupy ruby blood after his last coughing fit. His eyes were violet and childish, and they didn't fit in with the rest of his haunting expression. And his hair. His silver hair was matted down with dirt and blood.

He was...he was...just so _small. _He was three years older than me, but still his body was very tiny and fragile. Like if you touched him he would just turn to dust. But in contrast, he's sustained so many injuries. He looked like a broken doll.

I felt sick. My eyes were watery. I struggled to keep my puke down. His smile got wider, and his eyes softer. "Come on, now, dragon. You've done good. You've done so good. Come and give your cousin a hug." He lifted his arms into the air, out stretching his hands to me.

And that's when I ran out of the room.

I went into the bathroom and threw up. I sat there, breathing heavily over the toilet. I puked again. I closed my eyes and cried, leaning against the wall. I just couldn't handle it. I was more disgusting right then than him. I was despicable.

Someone opened the door. I expected it to be Minoru so I didn't even bother looking. The footsteps stopped for a second, but then ran over. Another moment of stillness. I felt small tears splatter on my leg. I expected Minoru to come over and hold me.

But when the arms threw themselves around me, I transformed.


	8. Origin of Ninjas and the Memory Rabbit

"Aika! Get up! You useless girl! You brat! Stand on your legs, they still work! Do you want me to break them? Get up!"

Pain.

Red, red pain.

Blurry, blurry pain.

Cold. Cold and white.

Snow. I fell in the snow.

Struggling. Collapsing.

Screeching. He was screeching at me.

Red, red hand. Coming down. To hit again.

More pain.

Red, red pain.

I jolted upright, inhaling sharply. I...fell asleep. It was only a dream. A dream of the past. My lower lip trembled as I sat up. I went outside after Miki told me to finish sweeping. It was nice out, a warm day.

But I couldn't shake how very cold I was.

But then I closed my eyes, and I saw my ninja again. And it was all okay. My ninja would protect me from that scary man. He won't ever hit me again, not when my ninja comes. I thought maybe Amaya-chan was my ninja. What if she was? Was she going to save me? Me, and Miki-niisan, and Taki-Aki, and Occhan, and the boy who lives in the closet?

I'm not supposed to know about the boy who lives in the closet. He's a secret.

It was a cold day. Over a year since we had moved into occhan's new house. It was also a very special day.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Aikai-chan!" Occhan was sick, but still he was smiling. But who doesn't smile on Christmas Eve? "You get to sleep now, so Saint Nick has time to come."

"But I wanna see him this year!" I moaned. "I wanna stay up and see him!"

"But Miki already went to sleep!" Occhan protested. "Come on, Aika-chan, it's time for bed!"

"That stupid seahorse is always doing whatever you say!" I huffed. "Why do I have to do whatever he does?"

Occhan closed his eyes and scratched his head. "Well, Miki is a very grateful little kid."

"Besides, the clones aren't going to sleep yet!"

Occhan laughed, his laugh was like bells. I liked his laugh. It meant everything was okay. "Taki-Aki aren't clones, at least I don't think so. Maybe they're _robots_!" I giggled with him that time. "Besides, they're older than Miki and you. When you're thirteen, you can stay up an hour later too." Occhan came over and picked me up, making me giggle harder.

"Come on, to the bedroom!" He carried me the whole way, and even put me in the bed. For a while we just sat there, giggling softly. He put his hand on the side of my face. I kissed it, and gave him my nicest smile.

"Good night, Occhan. See you tomorrow, on Christmas," I yawned. He ruffled my hair and left.

I laid in bed for at least an hour and a half before getting up and creeping down the hall, being extra careful as I passed Miki-niisan's room. I sat down at the top of the stairs, when I heard the door open.

_Was it Santa? _

I stepped slowly down the stairs, staying on the second one to the bottom. I peeked around the corner, trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger at the doorstep. Being a rabbit had some super good advantages. I had really good hearing, and was able to listen in on Minoru talking to the stranger.

"Well, what's this, carolers? This late at night?" Occhan cooed darkly.

"Give me..." The man's breath kept catching. "Give me...finish...job..." I leaned a little farther, hoping to see the jolly man in red himself.

And oh, was he _red_.

I felt my heart beat faster. This person...he had only one leg. And where his other leg should have been, it was just red. It was red all over the floor. It was red out in the snow behind him. It was red all over his body. Occhan wasn't looking at his leg though. But Occhan was crying.

I held in a frightened gasp. Occhan was always so happy. Even now he was smiling while tears ran down his face. He outstretched his arms, and the red boy collapsed into them. Occhan rocked back and forth, holding the small person close.

"Shh, come now. You're safe now. I know, I know, I made a bad joke. It's alright now. You're going to be okay." Occhan talked, but it was only for his soothing tone. The boy let out a shaky sob. I couldn't turn away. I was scared, but I couldn't turn away.

Suddenly I was attacked from behind. An arm wrapped around my waist. I went to scream, but my attacker covered my mouth. "Hush," He whispered, and then I knew I was in no danger. It was Miki-niisan. He rescued me.

We went back up into his room. We sat down on his bed. He looked at me with his big sad eyes, but the only thing I could think about was my dress. It was the color of that boy.

I stood up slowly. He just watched me. I untied the white ribbon that hung around my waist. I slipped out of my red dress and let it fall to the floor in a heap. I took a step away.

"I don't like it anymore," I whispered. "I don't like red anymore." I shivered a bit. Miki yanked off his white shirt and threw it at me. I stared at him. He flopped down on his side and rolled over, so his back faced me.

"Try not to freeze to death, will you? Just put it on," I slipped it on obediently. "And, try to get some sleep. Remember tomorrow's Christmas. So do yourself a favor and have some good dreams." I smiled and ran out of his room, cuddling up back in my own bed, pushing away thoughts of the red boy.

That was the first time I saw the boy in the closet. Occhan didn't talk about what happened that night the next morning, or ever. When I asked him what the one locked room was, he told me it was a closet.

But once, a month later, I opened it.

I stepped one foot into the darkness. "Hello, little one," His voice caught me off guard. I recognized it instantly as the red boy. "Who are you?" I couldn't see him, he was hidden in the dark.

"I-I-I'm Aika," I whispered, the strength leeching from my body.

"No, I don't care about your name. Names are little lasting. What zodiac animal are you?" His voice was tired.

"Th-the rabbit."

"The rabbit." He repeated, rolling the words on his tongue. "I like rabbits."

"What are you?" I questioned back. He laughed. It scared me, I flinched. It was a scary laugh.

"You're a brave rabbit, that's for sure. I'm the rat, the one closest to the king. The one who tricked the cat. I'm the rat." Once I listened, I could hear a nice, strong voice behind the fragile, raspy voice. What was once behind what is now. "I like you, a lot, _Aika. _I'll call you _Aika, _because that's what you told me to call you. Do you like presents?"

I nodded a little bit. "Good, because I've got a present I'd like to share with you. A small, paper white arm melted through the darkness. He opened his fist, to show me a shiny little metal star. I instantly grabbed for it, with renewed curiousity. He let out another hideous laugh. But this time, it sounded kind of familiar. I laughed a little too.

"It's a ninja star." I gazed in wonder. He let it drop into my hand. "It's yours now. Who knows, maybe the ninja it belonged to will come and find you." My eyes widened. "Don't worry, Aika, ninjas are the good guys. If the ninja comes for it, maybe he'll rescue you too. Take you to someplace better."

I shook my head. "Not without Occhan! And Miki and the clones..." I gripped it harder. "...not without anybody. Not even you. If the ninja comes, we'll all go. I'll make sure we don't leave you behind." I could hear him smile.

"Thank you, Aika. I'd like that a lot."

"Aika-chan! Where'd you go off to?" Occhan's voice rung out and bounced around the room, caving in on us.

I gave one last glance to the shadows I had been speaking to before yelling, "Coming!" And that was that.

I never told Occhan where I went. And he never told me what happened on Christmas Eve.

And I never stopped waiting for my ninja.

"Um, excuse me," A tall man in a suit snapped me out of my memories. "Is this the residence of Taki Sohma?"

I eyed him and frowned. "That depends. Who are you, and what do you want with Taki?"

He sighed and took off his hat, revealing jet black hair. "I'm Tadao Kurosawa, and it's about his father."


	9. All the King's Horses (Refused Treaty)

"Minoru, it looks like the dragon isn't so strong," Daisuke coughed out. "It looks like he hasn't changed since our 'god' had him, eh?"

I didn't like that. Miki had changed. I rescued him, I brought him here. He changed."Miki has changed. Before he wouldn't of been even able to look at you." I stared him down with frost in my eyes. "Not only are you horrid in appearance, you've been quite horrid to him."

Daisuke let out a hoarse laugh. "I haven't done a thing to the dragon. Not a thing of my own, that is. But what the king says is law. And I liked to follow the law." His eyes met mine with equal power.

I held my tongue. I was going to speak a name I hadn't said in a lifetime.

"Bishamon...Bishamon Sohma isn't our king. " The treason I spoke left a hole in my resolve. But it felt good to speak this way. To stand up for the kid. "His words are...just that. Just words. You had as much a choice as anyone whether or not to hit the boy. Whether or not to burn him."

His smile faded. "I don't recall ever hearing you say his name. I thought he was your king, and that was all you would ever call him. Ha, if anything, you ought to be more loyal than I ever was. I know," He drew himself close to my face. "Why you stole Miki away."

I pulled away. "I did it to save him. He didn't deserve the pain he got."

"Right, keep telling everyone that. But tell me the truth. I already know." I bit my tongue until it bled, holding in everything. I focused on the metallic taste. "You only took him because _Bishamon_,as you now call him," He smiled. "Wanted to play a game of catch. And tag and hide-and-seek. You stole him away so that Bishamon could find him. So that he could pull him back in."

I glared at him. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare. I saved him from our king. I didn't draw him out to be reeled back in. I drew him out so he could escape." He spat a drop of blood out of his stained teeth.

He believed I was lying. And I believed it too.

"And since when are you so loyal?" I inquired back.

"I've always been loyal. I'm the rat. It's my job. And your job, Minoru, is to serve the king."

"Why?" I questioned him. "Why do you follow him? After what he did to you?" He smiled sadly.

"You saved my life, Minoru. I would've killed myself. So my life is your fault. You struggled to keep me alive. The only one you have to blame for me is yourself. You knew I'd keep following him, it was your choice to save me. As you said earlier today, 'you had just as much choice as anyone.'"

"He cut off your leg!" I cried. His eyes were shining bright.

"And you kept me alive when I was begging to die. Who's evil?" He closed his eyes and leaned back into the shadows. "I'm tired. Let me sleep, Minoru."

I got up and started walking out the door. But just before I closed it, he whispered, "Oh ye faithful one."

I crept up to the bathroom. I heard sniffling inside. I considered opening it. Comforting Miki, especially since he was still crying. But then I heard something confusing from inside.

"G-g-gomene, Miki-San. I shouldn't have hugged you, it's just-" Was that Amaya-chan?

"No. Thank you, Ebasi-San."

I smiled. Looked like this girl really was our little angel. I think I'm going to start calling her that. Yeah. Angel-chan.

_BBRRIINNNG_! The phone shook me back into awareness. I sprinted over, hoping the lovebirds in the bathroom didn't hear it. I didn't want anything to ruin their moment. I was giggling as I answered the phone.

"Moshi Moshi?" I greeted the caller, twirling the wire around my finger.

"Oh Minoru, always answering the phone like that." My heart froze. No, it couldn't be. It wasn't.

It was our king.

"How are you?" He asked casually.

"What do you want?" I kept a calm voice.

"Oh, can't I call just to say hello? How about Miki-kun? Can I talk to my little pet? Oh, and how are the twins? I heard that someone was coming over for them. Something about their father. Probably another mental institute needing to talk to the close family."

"You've never called just for a hello. Miki is busy right now, he's not going to come to the phone." We spoke in a friendly matter, but our words were lined with ice. I had the power here. "The twins should be busy too then, with this visitor? What do you want, please just say."

"Fine. Enough small talk." I sat down. Whatever was coming, it was sure to be a lot to take. "Kill her."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"If Miki can't clear her memory, she's a threat. I want you to kill her." His words slowed down. The world slowed down. For an eternity, I couldn't comprehend his long, long words.

"W-who? What are you talking about?" My voice only wavered a bit in the beginning.

"Don't act like you don't know. Don't act like you thought I didn't know. I. know. Everything that happens in that house."

"How would you know what happens in this house? What, you got cameras in the toilet?" but then I realized it. Daisuke. It must be him. But...how did Daisuke know?

"Dreams." Well, I didn't expect that. "Me and Miki have a...special bond. I dream what he dreams. And he's been thinking about her a lot. Trying to find a way. But let's take that pressure off him, shall we? Let's take care of it for him. Kill her."

"Nice talk. Bye." I dropped the phone back into its charger absentmindedly. As the hole in my resolve grew, quick enough, it'll be able to swallow me whole. And then my choice will be stolen away from me, like a sword steals away your last quivering breath.

"Occhan! Occhan!" Aika-chan came running up to me. I smiled, for her sake.

"What is it, Aika-chan?" She grinned.

"A man came to talk to Taki! It's about his father!" I felt my stomach drop. Bishamon knew everything that _will _happen too, huh?

"What is he going to talk about?" More importantly, why was she so excited? Usually these talks just shut away the twins for days, which meant for her two less people to play with.

"He's coming over! He's in a car outside right now! He gets to visit them this time!" She jumped up and down. "Maybe he'll even stay out of...school? This time!" I laughed. She didn't understand what a mental institute was. I patted her head.

She ran back outside. I sighed. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Taki-Aki! Someone's here to see you!"

But my mind was elsewhere. The enemy had just refused our peace treaty. There's no other way than revolution.


	10. Second Rule of Flock

"Taki, get up. Someone's at the door for you." Aki poked at my side. "Come on, get up."

I groaned and rolled to my knees. It was kind of like the thing a secret agent would do. I then slid up against the door, singing secret agent music. Aki laughed and joined in, saying, "The name's Sohma. _Aki _Sohma."

I laughed too. It felt good to laugh like this. "Gah, I was trying to sleep. Who came for us?"

He sat still for a second. "Not us. You." Oh. Now I knew what it was about. Dad.

I smiled at him. His eyes were flaming with anger, but he kept his mouth shut. "Come on, I'm not going down the stairs alone at least." He smiled superficially and got up. I knew he didn't like this. He didn't like it when I had to go and talk with older men. He worries about me, but I wish he realized I was perfectly safe with these people. They wouldn't hurt me. Then he could relax more.

I jumped down the stairs two at a time. I flashed a wave and smile to Aika, who was sitting on the bottom stair. She was lucky I didn't trip over her. I had to jump-stumble around her. She wasn't as lucky with Aki though.

POOF! Usually Aki was careful, but right then he was too stressed out. He gathered up the clothes and carried the blonde rabbit back up the stairs, so she couldn't cause any trouble. He spared me one last look before heading back into our room.

I opened the door and stepped outside. A man in a black suit holding an expensive-looking tan hat in one hand. He smiled at me when he saw me, but it was a very false smile. A smile that said he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Hello. Are you Taki Sohma?" He looked surprised when I nodded. He must have expected I was older.

"What's the issue this round about?" I said in a serious fashion, but I could hear the boredom leaking out of my voice. He fake smiled again.

"Oh, not an issue. There's someone who I'm sure would like to see you, though." Oh great. Another fake rich businessman to ruin my day. I followed him back to his car. He opened the passenger seat door.

And out stepped a man I thought I would never see in daylight again.

"F-father?!" I cried out. I was left...speechless, really. He smiled his lustful smile with its missing teeth.

"My little girl! Oh, my little girl!" The suited man's expression could only be described as disgust as my father ran over to hug me. "I thought I'd never see you again!" I kissed his neck absentmindedly. My thoughts were focused on one thing; Aki. He was going to be furious when he learns about this.

"Ah, Sachio-San. It's been long, how are you?" Minoru whispered to my father, but his eyes were focused on some distant thought. My father smiled and slapped him on the back though.

"Good, good, good Hor-!" He glanced to the man in the suit. "-um, _Minoru. _And how are you?"

"Fine. Well, don't let me stop you up. Continue with your buisness." We kept walking to the empty room we'd be speaking in. The suited man sat down on the couch. My dad followed him, sitting besides him. I took the swivel chair directly across from the couch. It was more buisness-like to sit facing people, instead of next to them. It was also impolite to be spinning as fast as you can while you talk.

"What do you need?" I asked the man blatantly. I was already sick of this conversation. Why he brought my father here made little difference. It always ended the same.

My father knew about the curse. That's why he was crazy.

I was born, of course, before Miki was. And the old dragon had already died, the details weren't worth getting into unless I wanted to cry. The point is we had no one to wipe memories. My father didn't take it welyou're could say.

But I didn't care. He loved me, like no one ever loved me before.

He tried to expose us. He had a bunch of people hug me. Unfortunately for him, he told them I was a girl. So of course, being told that when hugged by the opposite gender we transform, I was hugged by a bunch of guys, which did nothing.

So he was thought of as crazy. He got locked up in a place to make him "better." But you can't lie a real insane man out of the truth. That's because he really was crazy, our god said. He was crazy, but the curse gave him a reason to be locked up.

"Well, your father has shown improvement," I was about ready to punch that plastic smile off his face. "And with an, erm, trustable," He was avoiding the word "adult." "family member we may just be able to set him back into the world. Tonight." I let a smile escape. Tonight. Father would be free. No more meetings, no more struggles.

The only problem was Aki.

I didn't let that affect my expression. "Fantastic! Let's begin, shall we?" I sat back and listened to him go on and on, responding occasionally with a "of course," "much better," and "right." It was tedious, but I survived for at least twenty minutes before something went bad.

"Taki..." Aki's voice trailed off. His head poked through the door. His loose smile disintegrated.

He ran at father, with all the hate in the world.

But I blocked him with my body, my eyes shut tight and my arms spread wide. I pressed myself against his wildfire movements. "Let me at 'em! Let me go! Don't protect that monster!" He kept yelling. I was yelling too though.

"No! Don't! Stop it!" We just kept yelling and side-stepping and stumbling. The buisnessman cleared his throat and we froze where we were. He smiled uncertainly. "Uh, this is um, Aki." I mumbled, pulling away, but keeping a steady arm in front of him. He kept his eyes averted.

"Aki...This is your...brother?" He stuttered a bit. I must've shown that I realized he was confused and nervous because he apologized. "Forgive me, I was just told you were the only family he had left."

I looked at Aki with ice in my soul. "I am."

"Right, then, Aki," He spoke to my brother for the first time. "Would you like to add any comments before we finish here?"

"That man is messed up beyond help. He deserves to be dead. He...he...he...!" Aki's voice trembled. He shouted to make sure he could get it out. "He took everything my brother had!"

"Aki, sweet, tempermental Aki," Father smiled at him. "Always like a fire, aren't you? You never change, do you? It's almost irresistable. But, of course, not as irresistable as the innocent taste of my little girl..."

That pushed Aki over the edge.

Before we could react, Aki had my father by his collar, shaking him, screaming, "Take it back! Take it back!" He just kept smiling at Aki, until the vigor in Aki boiled down, leaving him sobbing with a loose grip on my father.

"Well," the buisnessman broke the silence. "I need to take your father back for more checks and tests, but maybe this time, if he can pass positively, I'll bring him back for good." He gestured for my father, who hugged me one last time before leaving.

I tackled Aki, laying on top of him, trying to comfort him. I rubbed his back and shushed him gently.

"BWAAAHHH!" Aika wailed and ran in. She jumped on top of me, and then we laid there for a second, Aika crying into my shirt and Aki wiping his eyes. "D-d-don't c-c-cry." She finally managed to stutter out while wiping her nose on her arm, big fat tears still coating her face.

POOF! We all wiped our heads up. It came from the door, which meant it was my father or the suit man, I calculated quickly. Which means...

"Haruka!" Aki and I gasped at the same time.

"Haruka-neesama!" Aika cheered. But Aki knew what this meant. So did I. And it wasn't worth cheering about.

The cat had found the rat.


	11. Silent Song, But They're Ready To Listen

"Ebasi-San-" Miki-San started, but I was already heading out the bathroom full speed. Whatever happened, they may need my help. Rei appeared and ran beside me. I reached the door, where two men stood in confusion over a black pile, which I could infer to be clothes.

"Gomene, misters," I spoke meekly, putting on an act. I kept my hands behind my back and eyes down, shuffling my feet a bit. Being a shy, innocent, young girl was a fun part to play. The taller of the two smiled at me. I flinched on the inside. This fellow was not a very good actor.

"You are...?" His smile looked like it was going to fall off his strained face.

"Amaya Ebasi," I whispered nearly silently. Their real emotions were clear, I had them going. They thought I was crazy nervous. I fidgeted with my hands as we stood there for an awkward while. He patted me on the shoulder awkwardly. It was obvious no more questions were to be asked.

"Well, we should be off," The tall man said too loudly. They walked away, closing the door behind them. I laughed once I knew they were out of earshot. I didn't even have to make up an excuse! Rei smiled too, but that was good enough because he didn't laugh that much.

I then gently sifted through the clothes, worrying about the size of the animal. I had learned from exprience with Miki-san to not be too rough when looking for the Sohma in the clothes.

An orange cat flew out when my fingertips hovered over it. It glared at me. I smiled brightly.

"That was a close one, huh? Actually, not really, those guys fell for it easy," I giggled, filling the silence with my words. "I'm Amaya Ebasi, and you?"

"I'm not telling you who I am, so get lost already kid," She spat after a few long moments. I raised my hands in mock defensiveness, but I felt a little hurt on the inside.

POOF! A tan girl, probably a few years older than the twins, with waist long orange hair and long slender legs sat in front of me. She tucked a loose strand of her silky hair behind her ear. I handed her the clothes.

In a minute, she was all decked out in gothic style. A black tee with a silver skull imprinted on it and a mini skirt with small jingling chains hanging around the waist. High heeled black boots went up to her knees. I gawked at how stunning her figure was. She sighed and gave me a half smile, extending her hand, helping me to my feet. Rei disappeared, seemingly satisfied that I would be able to handle myself for now.

"Yo, Amaya, if I was rude or something, I was just like fed up, and it's just you know, I mean that it's like I get angry, and like other people and you know," She sighed. "What I mean is sorry if I came off a little rough. You seem nice enough. And...thanks, for helping out back there."

I smiled. She seemed nice enough too.

She put a cupped hand up to her mouth. I noticed a black and white bead bracelet dangling on her wrist. It was pretty. "DAISUKE! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! STOP HIDING LIKE THE RAT YOU ARE AND GET OUT HERE! DAISUKE!" She thundered. The room seemed to shake as she roared.

A slightly trembling hand wrapped around my left wrist, and another went over my eyes. I inhaled sharply, but my captor whispered, "You don't need to see what happens next, Ebasi-san." I relaxed.

Miki-san had come to rescue me.

He guided me backwards up the stairs. I didn't know why he had my eyes covered. What didn't he want me to see? I heard a door creak open, and felt Miki-san tense. His grip on me tightened. He pushed open a door himself and we sat down on the mattress on the floor that served as my temporary bed. He sighed and looked destroyed. I needed to cheer him up.

"Wow, look at the sunset!" I ran over to the window. He followed behind me. I felt my cheeks turn red. He was so close to me...I mean, we've been pretty close all day but never when everything was still like this, when I could really feel it. "It's hard to believe so much happened in just one day, huh?"

Miki-san's eyes looked to the horizon, but it was obvious he wasn't thinking about the sun. I needed to distract him, because the way he was looking made it look like he was thinking about something sad. "Miki-san, can I ask you a question?"

He blinked, and smiled at me. My whole face felt red. "Of course, Ebasi-"

"Y-you can call me Amaya, you know, if you want." He nodded.

"Of course, Amaya-san. I'll do my best to answer."

This was like a dream. Miki-san said my name. "I was just wondering, why did you call yourself Miki Fukui in school?"

"Ah, that," He said, sounding almost relieved. "Well, my father's surname was Fukui. But our family head told him he had to change his name when he married a Sohma, instead of mother changing her name. But, being the head's only condition, he did so, but it was pretty clear he was proud of his own name and wanted to keep it."

"What a lovely story," I breathed. Miki-san raised an eyebrow. "That your father was willing to give his pride to marry his love. It's sweet, don't you think so?"

He smiled. "I never thought of it like that. I guess you're right, Amaya-san."

I smiled too. His smile was so cute it was contagious. I wanted to make him smile all the time. "Well, I'm a different thinker, or at least that's what my mom says. She says I see the world differently than anyone else."

I heard a rap on the door as Minoru-san stepped inside my room. "Oh, hope I'm not interrupting." He sounded sick. I hoped he was okay.

"Minoru-san, are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever?" He laughed.

"Don't worry Angel-chan, I'll be okay. It's a chronic sickness for me, I just have ups and downs. I was just looking for Miki, to make sure he was alright..." His voice trailed off as it looked like he thought about something sad. "I'll be getting pizza for dinner now. I'll be back in a bit."

Miki-san rushed over to him, but stopped short. It looked like he was full of rage that he didn't know what to do with. "You can't leave while they're fighting! You can't leave us alone..." Minoru-san pulled him in to a swift hug, releasing him just as fast.

"It'll be find. Just stay in here with Angel-chan, got it?"

Minoru-san floated out of the doorway. Miki-san sat down on the mattress heavily. "Miki-san, who's Daisuke?" That question definitely didn't help.

"He's the rat of the zodiac," He spoke like he didn't know what he was saying or what to say. I nodded to let him know it was okay and he could stop. I sat down besides him.

"Do you like songs?" I asked out of the blue. "I know a good song, and i was just thinking..."

"Go ahead and sing it, Amaya-san," He swallowed down the inner pain and put on a grateful smile. I knew I needed to sing my very best.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, rainbows have nothing to hide. That's what we're told and some choose to believe it, but I know the wrong way to see, someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers...the dreamers...and...me." Miki-san closed his eyes and flopped backwards onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

"I like the way you sing, Amaya-san," He said and I blushed. He sounded like a child, he was so cute! "I like that song you sing. You have a pretty voice. I like it."

I wished this moment would never end. I was happy.

And I've missed being happy.


	12. Seahorse's Clues

"Miki-niichan, O-occhan left..." I turned to see Aika sniffling by the doorway. I smiled at her and sat up. Just as I was about to try to comfort her, Amaya-san ran over to her and grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, Aika-chan, he just went out to get dinner. He promised to be back soon. Until then, do you want to play a game?" Aika wiped her nose with her pink sleeve and nodded.

"W-what g-g-game?" She asked, her voice still shaking with her tears, but she was smiling a little.

"It's an imagination game," She spoke so sweetly, like there wasn't a problem in the world. I just stared at her, a bit lost to begin with. She was...good with Aika. I wouldn't have been able to stop her crying so quickly, and I've lived with her for years. Amaya-san hardly knew her. "In this game, anything and everything can happen. Close your eyes."

Aika did so obediently. Amaya-San nodded. "Good, good." She looked at me expectantly. I stared at her, unsure what she was waiting for. "Well, close your eyes Miki-san." I smiled uncertainly and closed my eyes.

"All aboard!" Amaya-san cried out in a funny voice. Aika giggled. "Train leaves in five! Young madame and mister, where are we headed? Anywhere you want!"

"The jungle!" Aika giggled. I was glad she was happy again. Amaya-san really was someone special.

"Alright, to the jungle then!" She made the sounds of the train moving. She murmured what the other passengers where saying. It felt almost real, but it was because of one thing.

She was going with her whole heart.

"Alright, Madame and mister, you may open your eyes. Behold the lush emerald trees and the splashes of rainbow from the exotic plants and animals!" We opened our eyes and Aika squealed. "Can you see it?"

She nodded excitedly. "How did you do that?!"

"Belief! That's all it takes! If you believe, you can do anything!" Amaya-san cheered.

I ruffled Aika's hair and got up. "I'm going to go check on the twins."

"Uh, but Minoru-san told you to, uh, stay here," Amaya-san mumbled. I ruffled her hair too and her face turned scarlet. Why did she keep turning red? Was she ill or something?

"Don't worry. You just keep playing with the dumb rabbit, got it?" I winked at her, and when she turned red this time, I blushed a little too. She was kind of pretty, I decided.

"Stupid seahorse! Don't call me dumb, you baby dragon!"

I stepped outside the room and let out a breath. I saw Daisuke's door open when I was taking Amaya-san up to her room. I needed to know what was happening. It was up to me once Minoru leaves to take care of things. I curled my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. I couldn't push away the fear though.

Every time I thought of Daisuke, I thought of the past.

"My little pet," The head sang out as he strolled by where I was hiding in the cabinet. "Come out and play with me. You know I'm lonely." He stopped. His voice grew annoyed. "Fine. If you won't come out, I'll make you. Daisuke, drag him out."

After a moment of searching, he'd pull me out by the legs. "No! No, no, no!" I yelled tears rolling down my face. I'd kick and kick, but Daisuke was strong. When I was out, the head would yank me up, holding me in the air by the neck.

"You're not good at hide and seek, my little pet. You should try hiding again." He'd throw me back to the ground and suggest a new game.

I shuddered away the memory. I tightened my fist, digging my nails into my skin. I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't just stand here trembling over the way things were...

But I kept going back to how Daisuke used to look compared to now.

He used to have two legs. He used to have the strength to sit up straight without help. He used to...

I felt my eyes get watery. It wasn't fair. It was never fair.

"Hi there, kid. What's your name?" The coughing man asked kindly.

"M-miki. Miki."

"I like that name. It's a good name. Oh, I'm Minoru. My name isn't that good. I want a name like Miki." He laughed, but it was riddled with coughs. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse me. I'm real sick, Miki. Real sick. I'm gonna die Miki. And I'm scared of that. That makes me a coward, I suppose."

"Everyone's got to die." I whispered. "To be scared doesn't make you a coward. To not be scared would make you a fool."

He laughed again. "Well, look at me, gettin' a life lesson from a seven-year-old. I like you Miki let's spend some time together again." His fingers laced in between mine. I nodded. "Soon. Real soon. Before I die."

We were together for another two years before it happened.

"Hello again, Miki. Nice to see you."

"What took you so long, Minoru? It's been over a month since we last had fun! Oh," I ran up to him. "You look better. Do you feel better? Last time I saw you you were feeling pretty bad."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm feeling pretty good today. Maybe it's because I have good news." he smiled slyly at me and sat down. I could almost hear his bones creak as they bent in their underused joints.

"What is it?"

"My father left me the present of freedom in his will. I can move away, Miki. And I can take you with me." I didn't believe my ears. He had to repeat it seven times. "I'm also taking the twins."

"They're sort of creepy."

He laughed. I had grown to love his laugh. "And Aika. You know her, the rabbit?"

"That mean toddler? She's a stupid jerk! Why'd you want _her_?" He bent over in his chair to be at eye level with me and laughed.

"Yep, things are going to be different. Better. Just you wait and see, Miki."

That was my last time being at the Sohma residence.

I crept down the stairs to try and see what was happening. I could see Haruka-san facing Daisuke. Daisuke was leaning on two crutches. I forced my eyes to stay open. I tried to keep them off Daisuke.

"So you finally ready to face me, eh rat?" She sneered. He smiled his cruel smile. He was the only person I ever met who looked worse smiling then they did frowning. "Ready to get what's coming to you?"

I knew that the cat and the rat of the zodiac were supposed to hate each other, but other than that I had no idea what kind of relationship Daisuke had with Haruka-san. Aki and Taki had told me about how the cat had tricked the rat in the story, and because of that the cursed two always had hated each other.

What if they were going to physically fight? What if she was going to kill him? What if...I cursed Minoru in my head as I watched, hating him because he left when he did. I knew he did it on purpose. I thought back on it. He seemed to act a little strange when he was talking to Amaya-san. It was like he was afraid of her.

"Alright, rat, come here. You're gonna deserve this," And then she did the last thing I expected.

She hugged him.

She buried her face into his hair as he stood perfectly still. "I've missed you."


	13. Questioning Sources And Honest Rabbit

"Aika-chan, are you feeling okay?" Amaya-neechan asked. I smiled at her. I must have seemed like I was spacing out. I was just trying to listen in on what was happening downstairs.

"Of course! Aika is always feeling okay! Aika is super strong!" I cheered, and she giggled. I looked at her closely. I didn't know why she was asking me if I was okay, when she looked so pale. "Is...Amaya-neechan okay?"

"Yeah..." She said smiling weakly. "I just...want to know what's going on. I want to help Miki-san however I can, you know?" We sat there for a minute. It wasn't an awkward sort of silence, it's the type of silence where you're both just thinking.

"What's your favorite song, Amaya-neechan?" I asked. A favorite song describes a lot about a person.

"Oh gosh, well, I really like The Rainbow Connection, but I like a song called Paradise the best. Have you ever heard it?" I shook my head.

"I'll sing it for you then." She closed her eyes and started to sing. "When she was just a girl-ir-irl, she expected the world-rl-rld, but it flew away from her reach-ea-each, so she ran away in her sleep-ee-eep. She dreamed of para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise. She dreamed of para-para-paradise, every time she closed her eyes."

I clapped. "That was really pretty!" She thanked me, but then we got quiet again.

She glanced at me. Her whole atmosphere changed. She was suddenly fidgety. She wrung her hands over and over. Her face was light red. "Uh, Aika-chan...well, I-I was just w-wondering...y-you don't have to s-say...it's okay, b-but...uh, d-does, um, Miki-san l-like anyone?"

I smiled gleefully. She did like him! I knew it! "Miki-niichan is single! The curse makes it hard to have a girlfriend, after all..." I stopped myself. I was just so happy and excited, I didn't think about what I was saying. I needed to stop. She was nodding understandingly, but she looked excited. I knew what I had to do.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. I knew what Occhan would say in this situation. I knew what he'd want her to hear. "Miki-niichan doesn't want a girlfriend though. He says he never, ever, ever wants to fall in love. And that there's no one in the world he'd want to fall in love with. And..."

I swallowed hard again. When Amaya-neechan had passed out, and Occhan took her into her room, Miki-niichan told me something When I asked him if he had emotions for her. I knew I had to tell her. Destroy any hope she had now, before she hurt herself. That's what the curse did to people. I didn't want Amaya-neechan to be hurt. I needed to tell her this now. To stop her from falling in love with Miki-niichan. "He-he...he said he wished you never entered his life!"

She froze. She was still smiling, but I felt my own eyes get full of tears. Whenever anyone else got sad, I got sad too! I hugged her tightly. She seemed surprised, but after a second she had her arms around me, too. But she didn't cry.

Sometimes, we were too broken to cry.

Or maybe, she didn't accept it yet. Miki-niichan didn't want to be loved, or to love. I cried harder into Amaya-neechan's soft shirt. That dumb seahorse! That stupid, mean, dumb seahorse! Doesn't he care about Amaya-neechan's feelings? Doesn't he care about her?

I looked up at Amaya-neechan's face cautiously, but she was staring straight ahead, still just smiling. Her eyes were sparkly with tears. She looked down at me, and her tears faded, and her smile got brighter.

"Y-yeah, it's okay. All I've done is caused Mik-, uh, Sohma-san, trouble. It's only right that he doesn't like me much. Come on, cheer up! It's okay, Aika-chan," She forced her words out. I got up and took a step, taking a seat next to her. She wiped her eyes quickly when she thought I wasn't looking. "I don't want to cause any of you anymore trouble. I'll just...I'm going to go home."

"But you can't!" I shouted. "You'll be all alone!"

She sighed softly. "No, I won't be. I'll go to school again on Monday, and see all my friends again, and if I do get lonely at home, I'll stay with Sakura. Oh, she's a good friend of mine."

"B-but I'm a good friend of yours!" I started crying again. "Just keep staying with me! You can't go!"

"Shh," She cooed. "Don't worry, I would never share your family's secret. It's safe with me."

"That's not what I'm worried about! I'm worried about you! We're friends! I'm worried about you!"

"It's okay. I'll be okay. You will too. You have Minoru-san, and the twins, and...and Sohma-san." She looked to the doorway. She whispered, "I don't want to ever bother him again, not even by disrupting whatever is happening down there."

She stood up and walked to the window. It was already getting dark. The sun had almost completely disappeared beyond the horizon. She opened up the window, letting in a cool breeze.

But it felt bone-chilling to me.

She stuck one leg out, then the other. I watched her until I could just see her fingertips holding onto the windowsill. I ran over and watched as she let go, dropping only a couple feet. She waved at me one last time, and wandered off in front of the house, on her way home most likely.

I slumped down to my knees. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean to send her away. But I knew that's what was going to happen. So why? Why did I do it?

I was so confused and sad. I just...I just did what Occhan would've done. I know it's what he would of done. I know the type of things he tells people. I just...I just did what Occhan does.

Isn't Occhan a good person?


	14. All The King's Horses (Another Battle)

"Minoru-san, right?" The young lady with the pink hair and big round glasses behind the counter asked uncertainly.

"Oh, yes, what?" I smiled at her, hoping I'd get back to my thoughts in a moment.

"I'm sorry but I've been calling your name for a couple minutes now. Are you feeling alright, sir?" She looked like she was worrying for me. Just like Angel-chan... It instantly made my heart drop again. "Erm, well, your pizza is ready."

I paid her and took the pizza in a daze. I walked out into the fresh air, my mind still wrapped around Angel-chan and what to do. I felt awful, like my stomach was full of oil. This problem was killing me on the inside.

Suddenly I started coughing. Hard.

I wouldn't stop. I doubled over. It felt like I couldn't breathe. I fell to my knees, trying to get air into my lungs between the harsh coughing. A hand was on my shoulder in an instant. I couldn't see the person because my eyes were shut hard.

"Mister! Mister, are you okay? I'm going to call an ambulance!" I shook my head vigorously. I couldn't go to a hospital. There would be women and I could risk transforming. But I knew I needed help, that much was obvious as my arms buckled, and the person had to hold me up to keep me from face planting onto the concrete. Thankfully, my rescuer was a boy so I didn't change.

"S-someone! This man needs help!" I grasped his arm. I shook my head no again. My whole body was sweating. I relaxed my eyes. I was heaving and shaking and I could hardly get a breath in. But in this moment, I felt fine. I knew what was happening.

I was going to die.

I opened my eyes slowly and discovered the pain was gone. I must have fallen unconscious. I didn't feel like getting up. I knew death was near. I didn't want to fight it anymore than I had to. But I needed to know where I was. "Where am I?" I sat up and saw a world of trees passing by at high speed. I realized I was in a car.

"Oh, thank god, you're awake!" The driver of the car pulled over and turned back to look at me. He was a boy in his early twenties, with brown hair and a light beard. He had kind eyes. "I'm sorry, I just went out to buy some soda so I didn't have my phone on me so I couldn't call an ambulance," Thank god indeed. "I was gonna just drive you to the hospital."

"Thank you for everything, really, but I'm okay now." He eyed me uncertainly. "I need to get back to my kids at home."

"I'll give you a lift then. What's your name?"

"Minoru Tadami. I'll just walk, it's not far from here. I don't want to worry the kids. Thank you again." He fell for my lies quickly. Well, they weren't really lies. They were...half lies.

"Okay, be careful." He waved awkwardly and drove away. I started walking. I took a good couple steps into the forest to keep out of sight of the cars driving by. I felt like dieing right there. I didn't want to keep going. Maybe I should just kill myself. Finish the job God wouldn't.

But then, like in all times of doubt, an angel appeared.

I heard sniffling and returned cautiously to the side of the road. I stayed in the woods out of view, trying to see what was happening. I could only hear it from where I was though.

"Ain't it a little late for a schoolgirl to be out alone?"

"Aye, where'd you think you're goin'?"

"How about havin' a good time with us, yeah?"

"Let go of me!" My heart skipped a beat. That voice. Angel-chan?!

"Quit your screechin' or I'll cut your tongue off!"

"Just be a good little girl, yeah?" I put down the pizza box. I pushed through the trees. Angel-chan, you saved my life just a moment ago. If not for you being here, I'd have committed suicide for sure. Now let me save you in return.

I punched the guy closest to me to the ground. I kicked him again. One guy ran at me with a knife. I ducked, thrusting my head up under his chin. He fell back too. I yanked the knife out of his hand as he lost guard, and stabbed the third guy in the arm.

"This guy's crazy!" The first man yelled in horror as I started stabbing the third guy over and over. Blood was staining my hand. The second guy tried to get the knife out of my hand, but I didn't let go, I just knocked him off me with my leg, kicking like a horse.

I forced the knife out of the third guy and ran at the first. "H-he's like an animal!" The first man cried out as he tried to run. But I was faster. I had him pinned to the ground. The look in his eyes were pure fear.

"Minoru!" Angel-chan cried out. I snapped out of it. The knife slipped out of my grip and the men ran away.

"A-angel-chan..." I started. I walked over to her. She gripped the edge of her skirt tight, staring at me wide-eyed. She was afraid.

I smiled weakly at her. "What ever were you doing out so late?" I knew what she needed. I knew what anyone would need in this situation.

A hug.

So I ignored everything and put my arms around her gently. I could feel her tense a bit, but I hugged her tight anyways. But as I did, I couldn't help but think something. Something that made me feel sick inside.

She was the one I had to kill.


	15. Third Rule of Flock

"Taki...where are you...?" Haruka's voice wafted into the room. Aki put his hand on my back. He eyed me, and I knew we both were worried. Haruka was not a good thing. Daisuke was a worse thing. Together, well together was a nuclear explosion. We knew she had come looking for him.

She opened the door and smiled coldly, like a snake. "There you are, Taki." She ran over and pulled me to my feet by my hair. "Why were you hiding Daisuke here? I looked everywhere for him. Everywhere!" She growled between clenched teeth.

"Let go, Haruka!" Aki yelled. "Daisuke came on his own account, probably to get away from you!" Haruka and Aki got along worse than vinegar and water. She released my head in a big show, blinking sweetly at Aki.

"I'm sure you'd know a lot about running away from those who depend on you, Aki. After all, you ran away from Taki-" She broke it for him with that one.

"Shut up!" He screamed. "Shut up you whore!"

"And I'm sure Taki would know a lot about _that_-" He completely lost it there. It was funny, Aki was always so strong, but when it came to me, he could completely break down. He ran at her, throwing punch after punch. She evaded his fury with ease, trying to get her own hits in.

"Shut it you damn cat! Shut your trap! You don't deserve to say things about him! You're damned even among the damned!"

"Cat!" A hollowed out voice called, sending a chill down our backs. Haruka and Aki froze in mid attack. "Why'd you run off? First you hug me, and say how much you missed me, and then you took off." Daisuke somehow managed to get down the set of stairs with his single crutch and single leg. His face was smeared with another fit of coughed up blood.

"Daisuke. I-I just wanted to know why they stole you away..." Her lip trembled. She was acting like a completely different person. But her eyes still were focused in a tight glare.

"They didn't. I ran away." He adverted his eyes. "I _dragged _away."

"No! It wasn't your fault! Bishamon drove you away!" She spoke forcefully, but she didn't look as forceful.

"Our god did nothing wrong." He said it so monotone, one would doubt the sincerity in his words.

"How can you stand up for that filth?! I've been training! I wanted to find you, to tell you! I've been training to avenge you and your leg! I'll stop him!" She couldn't be planning to attack our king? That would be traitorous! That would be blasphemy!

"You will do no such thing."

"Daisuke, you can't still look up to him! He's a monster! Do you know what he did with your leg?" She pleaded. He grimaced, but just looked away. "Do you? Tell me! Tell me!" It felt like Aki and I had just got caught in the crossfire of this nuclear war.

Aki gave a pained looked, and covered my ears with his hands. I couldn't hear. Part of it was because I didn't want to hear. I saw Haruka's mouth move, but I didn't make out what she said. I didn't know why we were still here. We'd been forgotten by the two, it seemed. But then Haruka turned to face us.

She said something. I could hear it perfectly, as though the world stopped just so she could say this to Aki. "You want him dead too, don't you?" I pulled myself out of Aki's hands, and was about to yell, but then his sleeve slipped up a bit.

I could see the red scars starting at his wrist.

One was newly cut. He didn't need my lecturing. He deserved to want Bishamon dead. I shut my eyes tight. I couldn't bare the sight of his arm. It brought me back to when I laid awake at night, listening to him sobbing quietly and hurting himself like that.

I couldn't bare the thought it was my fault.

He'd never say it. He'd say it was father's fault. Bishamon's fault. Mother's fault. His own fault. He'd never say it, but it was true.

"Let's go," I whispered into Aki's ear and we ran up the stairs side by side. He looked troubled. Who wouldn't be? "Don't worry, they didn't follow us," I joked solemnly. He smiled his best, bravest smile at me, which I had seen too many times before.

"Let's get to sleep. It's late," He said finally. We didn't even bother getting out of our school clothes. We climbed into bed together and laid there. "Night."

"Night." I almost drifted off at one point, but then I realized something. Something that kept me up all night, and would keep me up for nights to come.

I realized what Haruka said.

"I'll say it then! If you won't, I will! He put it in a box! He put your severed leg in a box that he sleeps next to!"


End file.
